EP4570005A1

EP4570005A1 - Sidelink sensing information sharing

Info

Publication number: EP4570005A1
Application number: EP23751115.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kai-Erik Sunell; Takayuki Shimizu; Claude Arzelier; Faranaz SABOURI-SICHANI; Thomas Jacobsen; Nuno KIILERICH PRATAS
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2022-08-10
Filing date: 2023-07-20
Publication date: 2025-06-18
Also published as: WO2024034347A1; JP2025529746A; CN119678635A

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatuses, and systems for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The method includes: receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE; storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Description

SIDELINK SENSING INFORMATION SHARING

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/396,857, filed on August 10, 2022, entitled “SL SENSING INFORMATION SHARING,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, more specifically, methods, systems, and devices for sidelink sensing information sharing in sidelink communications.

Sidelink communication technology enables direct communication between two devices. When a first device in a first sidelink communication shares radio resources with a second device in a second sidelink communication, the first device and the second device select radio resources for use. In order to select radio resources, the first or second device obtains resource reservation information and/or channel sensing information. Sometimes, a direct exchange of such information between two devices may not be possible. For example, while the first device is equipped with modules for both the first and second sidelink communications and is able to decode the resource information related to the second sidelink communication, the second device only has a module for the second sidelink communication and thus, is unable to decode the resource information related to the first sidelink communication, causing inefficient and unfair resource allocation. Improved systems and methods for sharing resource reservation information and/or channel sensing information are desired.

The resource selection procedure of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 16/17 5G New Radio (NR) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) PC5 mode 2 is specified in 3GPP TS 38.213, TS 38.214, and TS 38.321. For resource selection, a user equipment (UE) performs channel sensing in a sensing window and collects other UE’s resource reservation information based on sidelink control information (SCI) decoding to identify candidate resources in a selection window T (T = [T₁, T₂]). First, the UE excludes some time slots from the selection window due to unmonitored resources in the sensing window that the UE cannot sense due to its own transmission (i.e., half-duplex constraint). Then, the UE further excludes resources reserved by other UEs from the selection window if the corresponding sidelink-reference signal received power (SL-RSRP) exceeds the (pre-)configured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. After resource exclusion, the number of candidate resources shall be at least X% of the total number of resources in the selection window. Otherwise, UE increases SL-RSRP exclusion threshold by 3 dB until obtaining at least X% resources, where X is (pre-)configured from {20, 35, 50}%. Finally, the UE randomly selects resources among candidate resources in the selection window. The selected frequency resource can be used for multiple times with a fixed time interval for subsequent transmissions (i.e., semi-persistent scheduling (SPS)) or only once (i.e., one-shot transmission (OST)). Also, the UE can retransmit packets multiple times (i.e., hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmissions) with or without feedback from receiver UEs to improve the reliability.

In order for a UE to perform sensing and obtain information to receive other UEs’ packets, the UE decodes SCI first. In Rel-16, there are 1^st-stage SCI (SCI format 1-A) and 2^nd-stage SCI (SCI format 2-A or 2-B) as defined in 3GPP TS 38.212. 1^st-stage SCI carries resource reservation information for future transmissions, as well as information about resource allocation and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern, 2^nd-stage SCI format, etc. 2^nd-stage SCI carries control information for HARQ procedures, source/destination IDs, information for distance-based groupcast (UE’s zone identification (ID) and communication range requirement), etc. Based on resource reservation contained in 1^st-stage SCI, each UE avoids using reserved time/frequency resources by other UEs when it performs resource (re-)selection.

In Rel-17 5G NR-V2X PC5 mode 2, inter-UE coordination (IUC) is introduced, in which a UE-A sends coordination information about resources to a UE-B, and then the UE-B utilizes that information for its resource (re-)selection. The following schemes of inter-UE coordination are supported:
・IUC scheme 1: A UE-A can provide to another UE-B indications of resources that are preferred to be included in UE-B's (re-)selected resources, or preferred to be excluded. When given resources to include, UE-B may rely only on those resources, at least if it does not support sensing/resource exclusion, or may combine them with resources identified by its own sensing procedure, before making a final selection. The indication from UE-A to UE-B is sent in medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) and/or 2^nd-stage SCI.
・IUC scheme 2: A UE-A can provide to another UE-B an indication that resources reserved for UE-B's transmission (which may or may not be to UE-A) will be, or could be, subject to conflict with a transmission from another UE. Then, UE-B re-selects new resources to replace them. The indication from UE-A to UE-B is sent in physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The method includes: receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE; storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The method includes: performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of a user equipment (UE); and reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for obtaining at least one of the resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information from an apparatus in a communication network. The method includes: receiving, from the apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The apparatus includes a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE; store the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and transmit, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a UE for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The UE includes a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: perform a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and report the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a UE for obtaining at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. The UE includes a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from an apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information applies to another UE and does not apply to the apparatus.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of an apparatus in a communication network to perform a method. The method includes: receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE; storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided another non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a UE in a communication network to perform a method. The method includes: performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided another non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a UE in a communication network to perform a method. The method includes: receiving, from the apparatus, at least one of resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information, where the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for resource selection in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource candidate determination procedure according to the method of FIG. 1, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sidelink packet structure used in the method of FIG. 1, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for resource selection in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource candidate determination procedure according to the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5B is a table showing the correspondence between sub-carrier spacing and parameters for the sensing window and selection window (T^SL _proc,0 and T^SL _proc,1) according to the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a sidelink packet structure used in the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating another sidelink packet structure used in the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a dynamic co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink communication and a second sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating device types for a dynamic co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink communication and a second sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating a semi-static resource pool configuration in time domain multiplexing (TDM) for a co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink communication and a second sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating a semi-static resource pool configuration in frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) for a co-channel coexistence of the first sidelink communication and the second sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for obtaining at least one of the resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information from an apparatus in a communication network, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a device, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with aspects related to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 100 (referred to as the “first method” in this disclosure) for resource selection in a sidelink communication; and
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource candidate determination procedure according to the first method, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 100 may be performed by a UE in a sidelink communication. For example, the method 100 may be performed by a vehicle in a V2X communication. The method 100 may be performed under a mode (referred to as the “first mode” in this disclosure) that employs discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) for sidelink at the physical (PHY) layer. An example of the first mode is the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 14/15 Long-Term Evolution (LTE) V2X PC5 mode 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first mode, the time-frequency radio resources are divided into sub-frames in the time domain and sub-channels in the frequency domain. In an embodiment, the first mode may only support 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing (SCS). Each sub-frame may be 1 ms length and may consist of 14 DFT-s-OFDM symbols. Each sub-channel may consist of multiple contiguous physical resource blocks (PRBs), where each PRB occupies 180 kHz and consists of 12 subcarriers with 15 kHz SCS. The size of sub-channel (i.e., the number of PRBs per sub-channel) may be configurable or preconfigurable. To cope with high Doppler caused by high relative speed in vehicular scenarios, the density of demodulation reference signal (DMRS), which is used for frequency offset compensation and channel estimation, may be set to four per sub-frame. Each UE may broadcast data (e.g., transport block (TB)) in the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) and sidelink control information (SCI) in the PSCCH. The PSCCH may occupy two contiguous PRBs. The number of PRBs for PSSCH may be configurable or preconfigurable. The SCI format may contain information necessary to decode the corresponding TB in PSSCH and facilitate UE autonomous resource selection. As shown in FIG. 2, the resource reservation interval can be set to one of the allowed values (e.g., 20, 50, 100, 200, 300… 1000 ms). PSCCH and the corresponding PSSCH may be transmitted in the same sub-frame in either adjacent or non-adjacent PRBs in the frequency domain.

Referring to FIG. 1, method 100 includes a step 102 of performing a channel sensing (e.g., background sensing or any other type of full sensing or partial sensing). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, for resource selection, a UE may perform channel sensing in a sensing window (e.g., 1000 ms) to collect other UE’s resource reservation information. The sensing window can be any time duration, depending on the UE implementation.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the method 100 includes a step 104 of collecting other UE’s resource reservation information and corresponding Sidelink Reference Signal Received Power (SL-RSRP), and measuring Sidelink Received Signal Strength Indicator (S-RSSI). For example, the UE may collect resource reservation information of other UEs and the corresponding SL-RSRPs. The UE may also measure the S-RSSI using received sidelink signals. The UE may decode received SCI included in the received sidelink signals to identify candidate resources in a selection window T (e.g., T = [T₁, T₂], where T₁ ≦ 4 ms, and 20 ≦ T₂ ≦ 100 ms), as shown in FIG. 2. The selection of the T₁ and T₂ values depends on the UE implementation.

The method 100 includes a step 106 of determining candidate resources by excluding occupied, reserved, and/or unmonitored resources and based on an average S-RSSI ranking. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, once the resource selection or reselection is triggered, the UE may exclude some sub-frames from the selection window. The excluded sub-frames may be the resources not monitored in the sensing window. The UE may not sense these resources due to, for example, its own transmission (e.g., half-duplex constraint). The UE may further exclude resources occupied or reserved by other UEs from the selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. After resource exclusion, the number of candidate resources may be at least 20% of the total number of resources in the selection window. Otherwise, the UE may increase the SL-RSRP exclusion threshold by, for example, 3 dB until the candidate resources reaches at least 20% of the total resources. The UE may further calculate the corresponding S-RSSI of each sub-channel resource as a linear average over the S-RSSIs of the monitored resources with a certain interval (e.g., the averaging interval is 100 ms for a resource reservation interval of greater than or equal to 100 ms). The UE may determine, for example, 20% best resources in terms of lowest average S-RSSI as the candidate resources among the total resources in the selection window. The UE may use the 20% resources with lowest average S-RSSI based on S-RSSI ranking as candidate resources.

The method 100 includes a step 108 of selecting resources among candidate resources. The selection of the resources among the candidate resources may be a random selection. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the UE may select a single-subframe resource in a uniformly random manner among candidate single-subframe resources. The selected frequency resource can be used for multiple times with a fixed time interval for subsequent transmissions (this scheme is referred to as “semi-persistent scheduling (SPS)” in this disclosure) or only once (this scheme is referred to as “one-shot transmission (OST)” in this disclosure).

The method 100 includes a step 110 of transmitting the packets based on SPS or OST. The packets can be initial or retransmitted packets. For example, the UE may transmit an initial packet using the selected resources. For another example, the UE may retransmit a packet up to one time without feedback from receiver UEs to improve reliability of the transmission (this is referred to as “blind Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission” in this disclosure). After the transmission, the method may start again from the step 102.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sidelink communication packet structure 300 used in the method of FIG. 1, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The packet structure 300 may be used by a UE in a sidelink communication for transmitting or receiving packets. The term “packet” used in this disclosure can be a signal, a data, one or more control signals, one or more data signals, one or more frames, one or more sub-frames, one or more slots, etc. For example, the packet structure 300 may be used by a vehicle in a V2X communication for transmitting a signal or data. The packet structure 300 may be used under the first mode. As shown in FIG. 3, in the time domain, the packet structure 300 includes a sub-frame 302 that includes 14 DFT-s-OFDM symbols, in which four of the symbols are used for the DMRS, one of the symbols is used for a guard period, and the rest of the symbols are used for the PSCCH or PSSCH. The first symbol of the sub-frame 302 may be used for automatic gain control (AGC). In the frequency domain, the packet structure 300 includes a subchannel 304 consisting of n PRBs and a subchannel 306 consisting of two PRBs.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method 400 (referred to as the “second method” in this disclosure) for resource selection in a sidelink communication; FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource candidate determination procedure according to the second method; and FIG. 5B is a table showing the correspondence between SCS and parameters for the sensing window and selection window (T^SL _proc,0and T^SL _proc,1) according to the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be performed by a UE in a sidelink communication. For example, the method 400 may be performed by a vehicle in a V2X communication. The method 400 may be performed under a mode (referred to as the “second mode” in this disclosure) that employs orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) at the PHY layer for sidelink communications. An example of the second mode is the 3GPP Release 16/17 5G NR-V2X PC5 mode 2.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in the second mode, the time-frequency radio resources are divided into slots in the time domain and sub-channels in the frequency domain. In an embodiment, the second mode may support SCSs of 15 ・ 2^μ kHz, whereμ is the OFDM numerology μ ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}. For sub-6 GHz frequency, SCSs of 15, 30, and 60 kHz (i.e., μ ∈ {0, 1, 2}) may be supported, whereas for above 6 GHz frequency, SCSs of 60, 120, and 240 kHz (i.e., μ ∈ {2, 3, 4}) may be supported. Each slot is 1 / 2^μ ms length and consists of 14 OFDM symbols. Each sub-channel may consist of multiple contiguous PRBs, where each PRB occupies 180 ・ 2^μ kHz and consists of 12 subcarriers with 15 ・ 2^μ kHz SCS. The size of sub-channel (i.e., the number of PRBs per sub-channel) is configurable or preconfigurable. To support multiple SCSs and different Doppler spreads, multiple DMRS density options (2~4 DMRS symbols per slot) are supported. Each UE may transmit a first stage SCI in the PSCCH and data (TB) and a second stage SCI in the PSSCH. HARQ feedback (e.g., acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) or NACK only) may be transmitted in the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

FIG. 5B shows the correspondence between SCS and parameters for the sensing window and selection window (T^SL _proc,0and T^SL _proc,1). For example, when the SCS is 15 kHz, as shown in the second and third columns of FIG. 5B, T^SL _proc,0corresponds to 1 ms, and T^SL _proc,1 correspond to 3 ms. As another example, when the SCS is 30 kHz, T^SL _proc,0corresponds to 0.5 ms, and T^SL _proc,1 correspond 2.5 ms.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the method 400 includes a step 402 of performing a channel sensing (e.g., background sensing or any other type of full sensing or partial sensing). For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a UE may perform a channel sensing (e.g., background sensing or any other type of full sensing or partial sensing) in a sensing window T_sensing (e.g., T_sensing = [T₀, T^SL _proc,0], where T₀= 100 or 1100 ms, and T^SL _proc,0 is given in FIG. 5B) to collect other UE’s resource reservation information. The channel sensing with a sensing window of 100 ms may be for an aperiodic traffic, while the channel sensing with a sensing window of 1100 ms may be for a periodic traffic.

The method 400 includes a step 404 of collecting other UE’s resource reservation information and measuring corresponding SL-RSRPs. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the UE may perform channel sensing in the sensing window and collect other UE’s resource reservation information based on SCI decoding to identify candidate resources. In an embodiment, in order to perform the sensing and obtain the information to receive other UEs’ packets, UE decodes SCI first. The SCI decoding may include two stages: a first stage SCI (SCI format 1-A) and a second stage SCI (SCI format 2-A or 2-B) as defined in 3GPP. The first stage SCI may carry resource reservation information for future transmissions, information about resource allocation, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for PSSCH, DMRS pattern, and the second stage SCI format, etc. The second stage SCI may carry control information for HARQ procedures, source/destination IDs, information for distance-based groupcast (e.g., UE’s zone ID and communication range requirement), etc. Based on resource reservation contained in the first stage SCI, each UE can avoid using reserved time and/or frequency resources by other UEs when the UE performs resource selection or reselection.

The method 400 includes a step 406 of determining candidate resources by excluding occupied, reserved, and/or unmonitored resources. For example, the UE may exclude unmonitored slots from the selection window T (e.g., T = [T₁, T₂], where 0 ≦ T₁ ≦ T^SL _proc,1 ms, T^SL _proc,1 is given in FIG. 5B, and T₂ is set based on the remaining packet delay budget). The UE may fail to sense the unmonitored slots in the sensing window due to, for example, its own transmission (e.g., half-duplex constraint). The UE may further exclude resources occupied or reserved by other UEs from the selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. After resource exclusion, the number of candidate resources may be at least X% of the total number of resources in the selection window. Otherwise, UE may increase the SL-RSRP exclusion threshold by, for example, 3 dB until at least X% resources are obtained, where X may be configured or preconfigured from {20, 35, 50}%.

The method 400 includes a step 408 of selecting resources among candidate resources. The selection may be a random selection. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the UE may randomly select resources among candidate resources in the selection window. The selected frequency resource can be used multiple times with a fixed time interval for subsequent transmissions (SPS) or only once (OST).

The method 400 includes a step 410 of checking resource availability based on re-evaluation and/or pre-emption of the selected resources. This step may be performed for the late-arriving packets (e.g., aperiodic packets) after resource selection and before the packet transmission.

The method 400 includes a step 412 of determining whether a resource reselection is needed. If it is determined that a resource reselection is needed, the method may iterate from the step 404. On the other hand, if it is determined that a resource reselection is not needed, the method may proceed with a step 414 of transmitting packets based on SPS or OST. The packets may be initial packets or retransmitted packets. The UE may also retransmit packets multiple times (e.g., HARQ retransmissions) with or without feedback from receiver UEs to improve reliability of the transmission.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a sidelink communication packet structure 610 used in the method of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating another sidelink communication packet structure 620 used in the method of FIG. 4, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The packet structure 610 or 620 may be used by a UE in a sidelink communication for transmitting or receiving packets. For example, the packet structure 610 or 620 may be used by a vehicle in a V2X communication. The packet structure 610 or 620 may be used under the second mode. Referring to FIG. 6A, in the time domain, the packet structure 610 includes a slot 612 that includes 14 OFDM symbols for PSCCH, PSSCH, DMRS, guard period, and AGC. In the frequency domain, the packet structure 610 may include subchannels each including one or more PRBs. Referring to FIG. 6B, in the time domain, the packet structure 620 includes a slot 622 that includes 14 OFDM symbols for PSCCH, PSSCH, DMRS, guard period, AGC, and PSFCH. In the frequency domain, the packet structure 620 may include subchannels each of which including one or more PRBs. The packet structure 610 or 620 can be configured or preconfigured in a different way, for example, including a different number of symbols for PSCCH, PSSCH, or DMRS, etc.

The above-described embodiments are directed to sidelink channel sensing and resource allocation in a single radio access technology (RAT). Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to sidelink channel sensing and resource allocation for multi-RAT co-channel coexistence of different sidelink technologies. In these embodiments, for example, any combinations of a LTE sidelink, a NR sidelink, and a future generation sidelink may coexist and share the same channel. The future generation described in this disclosure can be the 6th generation, the 7^th generation, or any future-developed technology. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure support channel sensing for resource allocations in multi-RAT sidelink deployments.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a dynamic co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink (SL) communication and a second sidelink (SL) communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the first sidelink communication is NR sidelink communication and the second sidelink communication is LTE sidelink communication. In this embodiment, for example, the LTE sidelink communication uses 15 kHz SCS, while the NR sidelink communication uses a higher SCS (e.g., 30, 60 kHz). As shown in FIG. 7, the first sidelink communication and the second sidelink communication share time and/or frequency resources.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating device types for a dynamic co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink (SL) communication and a second sidelink (SL) communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, at least three types (Type A, Type B, and Type C) of devices are considered in this disclosure. A Type A device includes a module for the first sidelink communication and a module for the second sidelink communication. A Type B device only includes a module for the first sidelink communication. A Type C device only include a module for the second sidelink communication. For example, in an embodiment, a Type A device includes both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, a Type B device only includes an NR SL module, and a Type C device only includes an LTE SL module. A channel sensing problem arises in multi-RAT co-channel coexistence scenarios, since the SCI formats of the different radio technology are not identical. For example, a device having an LTE module only (e.g., a Type C device) cannot decode SCI formats for future generations (e.g., NR SCI format), and thus, cannot perform corresponding radio measurement.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating a semi-static resource pool configuration in time domain multiplexing (TDM) for a co-channel coexistence of a first sidelink communication and a second sidelink communication; and FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating a semi-static resource pool configuration in frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) for a co-channel coexistence of the first sidelink communication and the second sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the first sidelink communication is 5G NR-V2X PC5 mode 2 and the second sidelink communication is LTE-V2X PC5 mode 4. In this embodiment, different resource pools in TDM or FDM are allocated for LTE SL and NR SL in a channel. However, the semi-static approach may have drawbacks. For example, in the existing pre-configuration for LTE-V2X (e.g., Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J3161/1, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) EN 303 613), all time and frequency resources are allocated for LTE SL. Therefore, once LTE SL is deployed, the update of the resource pool configuration may not be easy due to a long car life (usually longer than 10 years). Even if the update of resource pool configuration is possible for LTE SL radios already deployed, the semi-static resource pool allocation may cause under-utilization or over-utilization (e.g., channel congestion) of spectrum due to imbalance of the number of LTE SL radios and NR SL radios in a given location and/or time and the amount of allocated resource pool for each technology. In contrast, dynamic co-channel coexistence enables efficient use of spectrum because time-frequency resources are dynamically shared by LTE SL and NR SL in a distributed manner.

Resource allocation in dynamic co-channel coexistence uses multi-RAT channel sensing information. But a direct exchange of such information between UEs of different RAT may not be possible as described above. At least some embodiments of the present disclosure address the above noted problem in sharing channel sensing information between UEs.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a node in a sidelink communication. The node may be a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE in the sidelink communication (e.g., a UE other than an at least one first UE or a second UE).

The method 1000 includes a step 1002 of receiving, from at least one first UE, at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE. For example, in some embodiments, a node may receive at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information obtained by a first UE in a sidelink communication. The first UE may obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information by performing a channel sensing operation. For example, the first UE may perform channel sensing in the sensing window as shown in FIG. 2 or the sensing window as shown in FIG. 5A. The first UE may obtain the resource reservation information based on decoding of sidelink control information (SCI) included in a received sidelink signal. In some embodiments, the sidelink channel sensing information may include at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a sidelink signal. In some embodiments, the channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the first UE, a timestamp indicating a time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

In an embodiment, the node may receive sidelink channel sensing information including a plurality of data sets for the same RAT. In this embodiment, for example, the node may combine the plurality of data sets for the same RAT by averaging values of radio measurements across the plurality of data sets, or by maintaining only a highest or lowest measurement value.

In an embodiment, the node may receive at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information from a plurality of UEs. In this embodiment, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information includes a plurality of data sets received from the plurality of UEs. The node may receive the plurality of data sets at the same time or at different times in which time differences are within a predetermined threshold. The node may further map a physical location of each of the plurality of UEs to at least one of a cell identification (ID), a zone ID, or a roadside unit (RSU) ID.

In an embodiment, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may include a plurality of data sets received within a predetermined time threshold. The plurality of data sets may be received from a single UE or from multiple UEs. In this embodiment, the node may determine validity of each of the plurality of data sets. The node may further remove one or more data sets from among the plurality of data sets that are determined to be invalid.

The method 1000 includes a step 1004 of storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. For example, the node may store the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information in an internal and/or external memory. In some embodiments, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is stored in a core network node. In some embodiments, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is stored as one or more data sets, in which each of the one or more data sets is associated with a timer, a resource pool, a RAT, or a location of the first UE.

The method 1000 includes a step 1006 of transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. For example, the node may transmit the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE. In some embodiments, the node transmits the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE after the second UE enters into a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode or an RRC inactive mode. The node may transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information over an RRC container or an RRC message. The node may also transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

In some embodiments, the node may periodically transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE. In some embodiments, the node may transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE based on a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information received from the second UE. In some embodiments, the request received from the second UE may include a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information for one or more other UEs using resource pools being overlapping with that used by the second UE but operating on a different RAT. The overlapping resource pools may be identical resource pools or partially overlapping resource pools.

In some embodiments, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is received and used by the second UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. For example, upon receipt of the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the second UE may identify resources reserved by other UEs and exclude such reserved resources during resource selection.

In some embodiments, upon reception of the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the node may start a timer for a data set of the one or more data sets and delete the data set upon expiry of the timer. The time may be pre-configured or configured by a network.

In an embodiment, the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information received from the second UE includes an absolute location of the second UE. In this embodiment, for example, the node may further compute a physical distance between the first UE and the second UE. If the physical distance between the first UE and the second UE is below a predetermined threshold, the node may determine that the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is obtained at a proximity of the second UE and thus, is relevant for the second UE.

In an embodiment, the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information received from the second UE includes a geographical location of the first UE, for example at least one of: a cell ID, a zone ID, or an RSU ID of the first UE. In this embodiment, for example, the node may further determine whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information associated with the cell ID, the zone ID, or the RSU ID is relevant to the second UE. The node may further determine data sets corresponding to the second UE based on a mapping between a location of the second UE and a location of the first UE.

In an embodiment, the node may further transmit to the second UE at least one of: a response message including an indication whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is considered relevant to the second UE, a location of the first UE, or information relevant for the second UE.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1100 may be performed by a UE in a sidelink communication.

The method 1100 includes a step 1102 of performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of a UE.

For example, a UE in a sidelink communication may obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information by performing a channel sensing operation. For example, the UE may perform background channel sensing in the sensing window as shown in FIG. 2 or the sensing window as shown in FIG. 5A. The UE may obtain the resource reservation information based on decoding of SCI included in a received sidelink signal. The sidelink channel sensing information may include at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a sidelink signal. The channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the UE, a timestamp indicating a time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

The method 1100 may include a step 1104 of reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE. The location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may be used by the another UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. For example, the another UE may refrain from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. The apparatus may be a node in a sidelink communication, for example, a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or one or more other UEs in the sidelink communication, etc.

The UE may periodically or instantly report to the apparatus the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, based on a configuration or pre-configuration for the UE. In an embodiment, the UE may instantly report the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the apparatus, whenever the UE has the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. In this embodiment, the configuration for the UE may be conveyed to the UE in a dedicated RRC signaling in a reconfiguration message or in a broadcast message, or in a medium access control (MAC) protocol control element (CE), or as a configuration in a NAS protocol data unit. When the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus instantly, an inter-arrival time of the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, may be controlled by a timer included in the UE such that the UE starts the timer after transmitting a report and waits for an expiry of the timer until transmitting another report. The timer may be fixed, pre-configured (e.g., in the UE), or configured by an RRC protocol or a NAS protocol or a MAC protocol.

In an embodiment, the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus based on a triggering event that triggers the reporting. The triggering event may be configured in an RRC reconfiguration message or in a MAC protocol control element, or as an indication in a NAS protocol data unit. The triggering event may also be pre-configured in the UE. The triggering event may include at least one of: an arrival of a plurality of UEs, a change of a received signal power, or an interference level.

In some embodiments, the UE operates on an LTE network and the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a mobile originated early data transmission (MO-EDT) or a pre-configured uplink resource (PUR). In some embodiments, the UE operates on an NR network and the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method 1200 for obtaining at least one of the resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information from an apparatus in a communication network, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1200 may be performed by a UE in a sidelink communication.

The method 1200 may include a step 1202 of transmitting, to the apparatus, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. In some embodiments, the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a RAT of the UE, a location of the UE, a cell ID of the UE, or a zone ID of the UE. In some embodiments, the channel sensing information may include at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a reference signal received power (RSRP), of a sidelink signal. In some embodiments, the channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the another UE, a timestamp indicating the time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

In some embodiment, the UE transmits the request for sidelink channel sensing information before the UE starts a channel sensing window. The channel sensing window may be the channel sensing window as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5A. In some embodiments, the UE transmits the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information at an end of a channel sensing window and before starting of a resource selection window.

In some embodiment, the method 1200 does not perform the step 1202, and only performs a step 1204 as described below.

The method 1200 may include the step 1204 of receiving, from the apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, in which the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus. In some embodiments, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. In some embodiments, the UE refrains from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. In some embodiments, the UE performs a resource selection by excluding at least one of: one or more subframes from a resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, or one or more resources reserved by other UEs from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. In some embodiments, the UE may further combine the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information with sensing information collected by the UE during the channel sensing window.

In some embodiments, the UE may further perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of: one or more subframes from the resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, one or more resources reserved by other UEs on the same RAT from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, or resources reserved by other UEs on other RATs from the resource selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds an inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. In some embodiments, the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is defined using an offset from an existing configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP threshold. The offset may be pre-configured or configured, or adjusted with steps based on an indicated location data. In some embodiments, the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is determined as a function of reported location information.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a device 1300, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1300 can be a node for communication, for example, a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or a UE, etc. The device 1300 may take any form, including but not limited to, a computer system, a vehicle, a component mounted in a vehicle, a road-side unit, a laptop computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or wireless personal device, or any other form. The device 1300 may include antenna 1302 that may be used for transmission or reception of electromagnetic signals to/from a base station or other devices. The antenna 1302 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input-output antenna configurations, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, multiple input single output (MISO) configuration, and single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, the antenna 1302 may include multiple (e.g., tens or hundreds) antenna elements and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, the antenna 1302 is a single antenna.

The device 1300 may include a transceiver 1304 that is coupled to the antenna 1302. The transceiver 1304 may be a wireless transceiver at the device 1300 and may communicate bi-directionally with a base station or other devices. For example, the transceiver 1304 may receive/transmit wireless signals from/to a UE or a RSU in sidelink communications. The transceiver 1304 may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 1302 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna 1302.

The device 1300 may include a memory 1306. The memory 1306 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. A non-transitory storage medium may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Examples of non-transitory storage medium include, but are not limited to, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. A non-transitory medium may be used to carry or store desired program code means (e.g., instructions and/or data structures) and may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In some examples, the software/program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, a server, etc.) using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. In such examples, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are within the scope of the definition of medium. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable medium.

The device 1306 may store information related to identities of device 1300 and the signals and/or data received by antenna 1302. The memory 1306 may also store post-processing signals and/or data. The memory 1306 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms that are used in signal processing in transceiver 1304 and computations in processor 1308. The memory 1306 may further store computer-readable program instructions for execution by processor 1308 to operate the device 1300 to perform various functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the memory 1306 may include a basic input/output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The computer-readable program instructions of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language, and conventional procedural programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on a computing device as a stand-alone software package, or partly on a first computing device and partly on a second computing device remote from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the second, remote computing device may be connected to the first computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

The device 1300 may include a processor 1308 that may include a hardware device with processing capabilities. The processor 1308 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or other programmable logic device. Examples of the general-purpose processor include, but are not limited to, a microprocessor, any conventional processor, a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine. In some embodiments, the processor 1308 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). The processor 1308 may receive, from transceiver 1304, downlink signals or sidelink signals and further process the signals. The processor 1308 may also receive, from transceiver 1304, data packets and further process the packets. In some embodiments, the processor 1308 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In some embodiments, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1308. The processor 1308 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1306) to cause the device 1300 to perform various functions.

The device 1300 may include a global positioning system (GPS) 1310. The GPS 1310 may be used for enabling location-based services or other services based on a geographical position of the device 1300. The GPS 1310 may receive global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals from a single satellite or a plurality of satellite signals via the antenna 1302 and provide a geographical position of the device 1300 (e.g., coordinates of the device 1300).

The device 1300 may include an input/output (I/O) device 1312 that may be used to communicate a result of signal processing and computation to a user or another device. The I/O device 1312 may include a user interface including a display and an input device to transmit a user command to processor 1308. The display may be configured to display a status of signal reception at the device 1300, the data stored at memory 1306, a status of signal processing, and a result of computation, etc. The display may include, but is not limited to, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a gas plasma display, a touch screen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to a user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware equipment used to receive data and control signals from a user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a digital camera, a joystick, a trackball, cursor direction keys, a touchscreen monitor, or audio/video commanders, etc.

The device 1300 may further include a machine interface 1314, such as an electrical bus that connects the transceiver 1304, the memory 1306, the processor 1308, the GPS 1310, and the I/O device 1312.

In some embodiments, the device 1300 may be configured to or programmed to forward at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. For example, the device 1300 may be a node in a sidelink communication, and the processor 1308 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1306 to receive, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE; store the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and transmit, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. The device 1300 may include other well-known elements of a node. For the sake of simplicity, other well-known elements are omitted here.

The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to periodically transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: receive a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information from the second UE; and transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE in response to the request. The at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is stored as one or more data sets, each of the one or more data sets being associated with at least one of: a timer, a resource pool, a RAT, or a location of the first UE. Upon reception of the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to start the timer for a data set of the one or more data sets; and delete the data set upon expiry of the timer.

The channel sensing information may include a plurality of data sets for a same RAT, and the processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: combine the plurality of data sets for the same RAT by averaging values of radio measurements across the plurality of data sets, or by maintaining only a highest or lowest measurement value.

The device 1300 may receive the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information from a plurality of UEs. The at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may include a plurality of data sets received from the plurality of UEs. In an embodiment, the device 1300 may receive the plurality of data sets from the plurality of UEs at the same time. In another embodiment, the device 1300 may receive the plurality of data sets from the plurality of UEs at different times in which time differences are within a predetermined threshold. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: map a physical location of each of the plurality of UEs to at least one of a cell identification (ID), a zone ID, or a roadside unit (RSU) ID.

In an embodiment, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information received by the device 1300 may include a plurality of data sets received within a predetermined time threshold. In this embodiment, the processor 1308 is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: determine a validity of each set of the plurality of sets of sidelink channel sensing information; and remove one or more sets of the plurality of sets of sidelink channel sensing information that are determined to be invalid.

The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: compute, if the request includes an absolute location of the first UE, a physical distance between the first UE and the second UE; and determine whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information associated with the at least one of the cell ID, the zone ID, or the RSU ID is relevant to the second UE. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: determine, if the physical distance between the first UE and the second UE is below a predetermined threshold, that the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is relevant to the second UE.

The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: determine data sets corresponding to the second UE based on a mapping between a location of the second UE and a location of the first UE. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: transmit, to the second UE, at least one of: a response message including an indication whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is considered relevant to the second UE, a location of the first UE, or information relevant for the second UE.

In some embodiments, the device 1300 may be configured to or programmed to provide location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. For example, the device 1300 may be a UE in a sidelink communication, and the processor 1308 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 1306 to: perform a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and report the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE. The apparatus may be a node for communication, for example, a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE, etc.

The processor 1308 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 1306 to periodically report the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the apparatus. Alternatively, the processor 1308 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 1306 to instantly report the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the apparatus, whenever the device 1300 has the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. The periodic reporting or the instant reporting are determined based on a configuration by a network or a pre-configuration. The configuration may be conveyed to the device 1300 in a dedicated RRC signaling in a reconfiguration message or in a broadcast message, or in a medium access control (MAC) protocol control element, or as a configuration in a NAS protocol data unit.

When the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus instantly, an inter-arrival time of the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, is controlled by a timer included in the device 1300 such that the device 1300 starts the timer after transmitting a report and waits for an expiry of the timer until transmitting another report. The timer may be fixed, pre-configured (e.g., in the UE), or configured by a radio resource control (RRC) protocol or a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol or a medium access control (MAC) protocol.

The location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may be reported to the apparatus based on a triggering event that triggers the reporting. The triggering event may be configured in an RRC reconfiguration message or in a MAC protocol control element, or as an indication in a NAS protocol data unit, or is pre-configured in the UE. The triggering event may include at least one of: an arrival of a plurality of UEs including the UE, a change of a received signal power, or an interference level. In some embodiments, the device 1300 may operate on an LTE network, and the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a mobile originated early data transmission (MO-EDT) or a pre-configured uplink resource (PUR). In some embodiments, the device 1300 may operate on an NR network, and the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure.

In some embodiments, the device 1300 may be configured to or programmed to obtain at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication. For example, the device 1300 may be a UE in a sidelink communication, and the processor 1308 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 1306 to: receive, from an apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information applies to another UE and does not apply to the apparatus. In an embodiment, the processor 1308 is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: transmit, to the apparatus, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, receive the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information in response to the request. The apparatus may be a node for communication, for example, a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE, etc.

The request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a radio access technology (RAT) of the device 1300, a location of the device 1300, a cell ID of the device 1300, or a zone ID of the device 1300. The at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may be used by the device 1300 to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. The channel sensing information may include at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a reference signal received power (RSRP), of a sidelink signal. The channel sensing information may further include at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the another UE, a timestamp indicating the time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: transmit the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information before the UE starts a channel sensing window. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: refrain from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of: one or more subframes from a resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, or one or more resources reserved by other UEs from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.

The request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information may be transmitted at an end of a channel sensing window and before starting of a resource selection window. The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 1306 to: combine the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information with sensing information collected by the UE during the channel sensing window.

The processor 1308 may be further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of: one or more subframes from the resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, one or more resources reserved by other UEs on the same RAT from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, or resources reserved by other UEs on other RATs from the resource selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds an inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. The inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold may be defined using an offset from an existing configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP threshold. The offset may be pre-configured or configured, or adjusted with steps based on an indicated location data. The inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold may be determined as a function of reported position information.

As used in this disclosure, use of the term “or” in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. The list of items may be prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’. For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used in this disclosure, prefacing a list of conditions with the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as “based only on” the set of conditions and rather shall be construed as “based at least in part on” the set of conditions. For example, an outcome described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

In this specification the terms “comprise”, “include” or “contain” may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are to be construed as inclusive and open-ended. The terms “comprise”, “include” or “contain” may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements within the list exist but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A comprises B and C, both {B, C} and {B, C, D} are within the scope of A.

The present disclosure, in connection with the accompanied drawings, describes example configurations that are not representative of all the examples that may be implemented or all configurations that are within the scope of this disclosure. The term “exemplary” should not be construed as “preferred” or “advantageous compared to other examples” but rather “an illustration, an instance or an example.” By reading this disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the drawings, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skills in the art that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented using alternative embodiments. The person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the embodiments, or certain features of the embodiments described herein, may be combined to arrive at yet other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments.

It is understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials, or steps described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with, or eliminated from, other embodiments in suitable ways to accomplish desired design objectives.

Reference herein to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases “one embodiment” “some embodiments” or “another embodiment” in various places in the present disclosure do not all necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in the present disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word "about" or "approximately" preceded the value of the value or range.

Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

It is appreciated that certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the specification, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments, unless noted as such.

It will be further understood that various modifications, alternatives and variations in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the following claims embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the terms of the claims.

Clause 1. An apparatus for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the apparatus comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE;
store the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmit, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 2. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is obtained by the at least one first UE by performing a channel sensing.

Clause 3. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the apparatus is a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE in the sidelink communication.

Clause 4. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
periodically transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE.

Clause 5. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information from the second UE; and
transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE in response to the request.

Clause 6. The apparatus of Clause 5, wherein the request received from the second UE comprises a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information for one or more other UEs using a resource pool being overlapping with that used by the second UE but operating on a different radio access technology (RAT).

Clause 7. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the second UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 8. The apparatus of Clause 2, wherein the resource reservation information is obtained by the first UE based on decoding of sidelink control information (SCI) included in a sidelink signal.

Clause 9. The apparatus of Clause 2, wherein the channel sensing information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a sidelink signal.

Clause 10. The apparatus of Clause 9, wherein the channel sensing information further comprises at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the first UE, a timestamp indicating a time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

Clause 11. The apparatus of Clause 3, wherein the apparatus is the network node, and wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted to the second UE over a radio resource control (RRC) container or an RRC message.

Clause 12. The apparatus of Clause 3, wherein the apparatus is the network node, and wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted to the second UE in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

Clause 13. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is stored as one or more data sets, each of the one or more data sets being associated with at least one of: a timer, a resource pool, a RAT, or a location of the first UE.

Clause 14. The apparatus of Clause 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
start, upon reception of the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the timer for a data set of the one or more data sets; and
delete the data set upon expiry of the timer.

Clause 15. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets for a same RAT, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
combine the plurality of data sets for the same RAT by averaging values of radio measurements across the plurality of data sets, or by maintaining only a highest or lowest measurement value.

Clause 16. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the first UE comprises a plurality of UEs, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets received from the plurality of UEs at the same time or at different times in which time differences are within a predetermined threshold.

Clause 17. The apparatus of Clause 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
map a physical location of each of the plurality of UEs to at least one of a cell identification (ID), a zone ID, or a roadside unit (RSU) ID.

Clause 18. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets received within a predetermined time threshold, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
determine a validity of each of the plurality of data sets; and
remove one or more data sets of the plurality of data sets that are determined to be invalid.

Clause 19. The apparatus of Clause 5, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
compute, if the request includes an absolute location of the first UE, a physical distance between the first UE and the second UE; and
determine whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information associated with the at least one of the cell ID, the zone ID, or the RSU ID is relevant to the second UE.

Clause 20. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
determine, if the physical distance between the first UE and the second UE is below a predetermined threshold, that the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is relevant to the second UE.

Clause 21. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
determine data sets corresponding to the second UE based on a mapping between a location of the second UE and a location of the first UE.

Clause 22. The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
transmit, to the second UE, at least one of: a response message including an indication whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is considered relevant to the second UE, a location of the first UE, or information relevant for the second UE.

Clause 23. A user equipment (UE) for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the UE comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
perform a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and
report the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

Clause 24. The UE of Clause 23, wherein the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus periodically, or instantly whenever the UE has the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, based on a configuration or a pre-configuration for the UE.

Clause 25. The UE of Clause 24, wherein the configuration for the UE is conveyed to the UE in a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling in a reconfiguration message or in a broadcast message, or in a medium access control (MAC) protocol control element, or as a configuration in a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol data unit.

Clause 26. The UE of Clause 24, wherein when the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus instantly, an inter-arrival time of the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, is controlled by a timer included in the UE such that the UE starts the timer after transmitting a report and waits for an expiry of the timer until transmitting another report.

Clause 27. The UE of Clause 26, wherein the timer is fixed, pre-configured, or configured by a RRC protocol or a NAS protocol or a MAC protocol.

Clause 28. The UE of Clause 23, wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus based on a triggering event that triggers the reporting, and wherein the triggering event is configured by an RRC reconfiguration message or in a MAC protocol control element, or as an indication in a NAS protocol data unit, or is pre-configured in the UE.

Clause 29. The UE of Clause 28, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of: an arrival of a plurality of UEs including the UE, a change of a received signal power, or an interference level.

Clause 30. The UE of Clause 23, wherein the UE operates on a long-term evolution (LTE) network, and wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a mobile originated early data transmission (MO-EDT) or a pre-configured uplink resource (PUR).

Clause 31. The UE of Clause 23, wherein the UE operates on a new radio (NR) network, and wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure.

Clause 32. The UE of Clause 23, wherein the apparatus is a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE in the sidelink communication.

Clause 33. A user equipment (UE) for obtaining at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the UE comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive, from an apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information applies to another UE and does not apply to the apparatus.

Clause 34. The UE of Clause 33, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
transmit, to the apparatus, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 35. The UE of Clause 34, wherein the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information further includes at least one of: a radio access technology (RAT) of the UE, a location of the UE, a cell identification (ID) of the UE, or a zone ID of the UE.

Clause 36. The UE of Clause 33, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 37. The UE of Clause 33, wherein the channel sensing information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a reference signal received power (RSRP), of a sidelink signal.

Clause 38. The UE of Clause 37, wherein the channel sensing information further comprises at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the another UE, a timestamp indicating the time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

Clause 39. The UE of Clause 34, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
transmit the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information before the UE starts a channel sensing window.

Clause 40. The UE of Clause 33, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
refrain from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 41. The UE of Clause 40, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of:
one or more subframes from a resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, or
one or more resources reserved by other UEs from the resource selection window if a corresponding sidelink-reference signal received power (SL-RSRP) exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.

Clause 42. The UE of Clause 34, wherein the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted at an end of a channel sensing window and before starting of a resource selection window.

Clause 43. The UE of Clause 42, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
combine the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information with sensing information collected by the UE during the channel sensing window.

Clause 44. The UE of Clause 43, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of:
one or more subframes from the resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window,
one or more resources reserved by other UEs on the same RAT from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, or
resources reserved by other UEs on other RATs from the resource selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds an inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.

Clause 45. The UE of Clause 44, wherein the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is defined using an offset from an existing configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP threshold, and wherein the offset is:
pre-configured or configured, or
adjusted with steps based on an indicated location data.

Clause 46. The UE of Clause 45, wherein the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is determined as a function of reported location information.

Clause 47. A method for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the method comprising:
receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE;
storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 48. The method of Clause 47, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is obtained by the at least one first UE by performing a channel sensing.

Clause 49. The method of Clause 47, wherein the method is performed by a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE in the sidelink communication.

Clause 50. The method of Clause 47, further comprising:
periodically transmitting, to the second UE, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 51. The method of Clause 47, further comprising:
receiving, from the second UE, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmitting, to the second UE, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information in response to the request.

Clause 52. The method of Clause 51, wherein the request received from the second UE comprises a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information for one or more other UEs using a resource pool being overlapping with that used by the second UE but operating on a different radio access technology (RAT).

Clause 53. The method of Clause 47, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the second UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 54. The method of Clause 48, wherein the resource reservation information is obtained by the first UE based on decoding of sidelink control information (SCI) included in a sidelink signal.

Clause 55. The method of Clause 48, wherein the channel sensing information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a sidelink signal.

Clause 56. The method of Clause 55, wherein the channel sensing information further comprises at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the first UE, a timestamp indicating a time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

Clause 57. The method of Clause 49, wherein the method is performed by the network node, and wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted to the second UE over a radio resource control (RRC) container or an RRC message.

Clause 58. The method of Clause 49, wherein the method is performed by the network node, and wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted to the second UE in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

Clause 59. The method of Clause 47, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is stored as one or more data sets, each of the one or more data sets being associated with at least one of: a timer, a resource pool, a RAT, or a location of the first UE.

Clause 60. The method of Clause 59, further comprising:
starting, upon reception of the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the timer for a data set of the one or more data sets; and
deleting the data set upon expiry of the timer.

Clause 61. The method of Clause 47, wherein the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets for a same RAT, and the method further comprises:
combining the plurality of data sets for the same RAT by averaging values of radio measurements across the plurality of data sets, or by maintaining only a highest or lowest measurement value.

Clause 62. The method of Clause 47, wherein the first UE comprises a plurality of UEs, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets received from the plurality of UEs at the same time or at different times in which time differences are within a predetermined threshold.

Clause 63. The method of Clause 62, further comprising:
mapping a physical location of each of the plurality of UEs to at least one of a cell identification (ID), a zone ID, or a roadside unit (RSU) ID.

Clause 64. The method of Clause 47, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets received within a predetermined time threshold, and the method further comprises:
determining a validity of each of the plurality of data sets; and
removing one or more data sets of the plurality of data sets that are determined to be invalid.

Clause 65. The method of Clause 51, wherein the method further comprises:
computing, if the request includes an absolute location of the first UE, a physical distance between the first UE and the second UE; and
determining whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information associated with the at least one of the cell ID, the zone ID, or the RSU ID is relevant to the second UE.

Clause 66. The method of Clause 65, further comprising:
determining, if the physical distance between the first UE and the second UE is below a predetermined threshold, that the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is relevant to the second UE.

Clause 67. The method of Clause 47, further comprising:
determining data sets corresponding to the second UE based on a mapping between a location of the second UE and a location of the first UE.

Clause 68. The method of Clause 47, further comprising:
transmitting, to the second UE, at least one of: a response message including an indication whether the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is considered relevant to the second UE, a location of the first UE, or information relevant for the second UE.

Clause 69. A method for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the method comprising:
performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of a user equipment (UE); and
reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

Clause 70. The method of Clause 69, wherein the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus periodically, or instantly whenever the UE has the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, based on a configuration or a pre-configuration for the UE.

Clause 71. The method of Clause 70, wherein the configuration for the UE is conveyed to the UE in a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling in a reconfiguration message or in a broadcast message, or in a medium access control (MAC) protocol control element, or as a configuration in a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol data unit.

Clause 72. The method of Clause 70, wherein when the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus instantly, an inter-arrival time of the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, is controlled by a timer included in the UE such that the UE starts the timer after transmitting a report and waits for an expiry of the timer until transmitting another report.

Clause 73. The method of Clause 72, wherein the timer is fixed, pre-configured, or configured by a RRC protocol or a NAS protocol or a MAC protocol.

Clause 74. The method of Clause 69, wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus based on a triggering event that triggers the reporting, and wherein the triggering event is configured by an RRC reconfiguration message or in a MAC protocol control element, or as an indication in a NAS protocol data unit, or is pre-configured in the UE.

Clause 75. The method of Clause 74, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of: an arrival of a plurality of UEs including the UE, a change of a received signal power, or an interference level.

Clause 76. The method of Clause 69, wherein the UE operates on a long-term evolution (LTE) network, and wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a mobile originated early data transmission (MO-EDT) or a pre-configured uplink resource (PUR).

Clause 77. The method of Clause 69, wherein the UE operates on a new radio (NR) network, and wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure.

Clause 78. The method of Clause 69, wherein the apparatus is a network node, a road side unit, a relay node, or another UE in the sidelink communication.

Clause 79. A method for obtaining at least one of the resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information from an apparatus in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, from the apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus.

Clause 80. The method of Clause 79, further comprising:
transmitting, to the apparatus, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 81. The method of Clause 80, wherein the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information further includes at least one of: a radio access technology (RAT) of user equipment (UE), a location of the UE, a cell identification (ID) of the UE, or a zone ID of the UE.

Clause 82. The method of Clause 79, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by a UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 83. The method of Clause 79, wherein the channel sensing information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a reference signal received power (RSRP), of a sidelink signal.

Clause 84. The method of Clause 83, wherein the channel sensing information further comprises at least one of: a RAT on which the channel sensing information is obtained, a location of the another UE, a timestamp indicating the time at which a channel sensing operation is performed, or a resource pool where the channel sensing operation is performed.

Clause 85. The method of Clause 80, further comprising:
transmitting the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information before a UE starts a channel sensing window.

Clause 86. The method of Clause 79, further comprising:
refraining from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 87. The method of Clause 86, further comprising:
performing a resource selection by excluding at least one of:
one or more subframes from a resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window, or
one or more resources reserved by other UEs from the resource selection window if a corresponding sidelink-reference signal received power (SL-RSRP) exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.

Clause 88. The method of Clause 80, wherein the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted at an end of a channel sensing window and before starting of a resource selection window.

Clause 89. The method of Clause 88, further comprising:
combining the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information with sensing information collected by the UE during the channel sensing window.

Clause 90. The method of Clause 89, further comprising:
performing a resource selection by excluding at least one of:
one or more subframes from the resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window,
one or more resources reserved by other UEs on the same RAT from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, or
resources reserved by other UEs on other RATs from the resource selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds an inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.

Clause 91. The method of Clause 90, wherein the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is defined using an offset from an existing configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP threshold, and wherein the offset is:
pre-configured or configured, or
adjusted with steps based on an indicated location data.

Clause 92. The method of Clause 91, wherein the inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold is determined as a function of reported location information.

Clause 93. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of an apparatus in a communication network, to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE;
storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.

Clause 94. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) in a communication network, to perform a method, the method comprising:
performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and
reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.

Clause 95. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) in a communication network, to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving, from an apparatus, at least one of resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information, where the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus.

Claims

An apparatus for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the apparatus comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE;
store the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmit, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information from the second UE; and
transmit the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information to the second UE in response to the request, and
wherein the request received from the second UE comprises a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information for one or more other UEs using a resource pool being overlapping with that used by the second UE but operating on a different radio access technology (RAT).
The apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the second UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
The apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is obtained by the at least one first UE by performing a channel sensing, and
wherein the resource reservation information is obtained by the first UE based on decoding of sidelink control information (SCI) included in a sidelink signal.
The apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is obtained by the at least one first UE by performing a channel sensing, and
wherein the channel sensing information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a sidelink signal.
The apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the first UE comprises a plurality of UEs, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information comprises a plurality of data sets received from the plurality of UEs at the same time or at different times in which time differences are within a predetermined threshold, and
wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
map a physical location of each of the plurality of UEs to at least one of a cell identification (ID), a zone ID, or a roadside unit (RSU) ID.
The apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
determine data sets corresponding to the second UE based on a mapping between a location of the second UE and a location of the first UE.
A user equipment (UE) for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the UE comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
perform a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of the UE; and
report the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.
The UE of claim 8, wherein the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, are reported to the apparatus periodically, or instantly whenever the UE has the location information, and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, based on a configuration or a pre-configuration for the UE.
The UE of claim 8,
wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus based on a triggering event that triggers the reporting, and
wherein the triggering event is configured by an RRC reconfiguration message or in a MAC protocol control element, or as an indication in a NAS protocol data unit, or is pre-configured in the UE.
The UE of claim 8,
wherein the UE operates on a long-term evolution (LTE) network, and
wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a mobile originated early data transmission (MO-EDT) or a pre-configured uplink resource (PUR).
The UE of claim 8,
wherein the UE operates on a new radio (NR) network, and
wherein the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information are reported to the apparatus using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure.
A user equipment (UE) for obtaining at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the UE comprising:
a memory storing an instruction; and
a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
receive, from an apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information applies to another UE and does not apply to the apparatus.
The UE of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
transmit, to the apparatus, a request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
The UE of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is used by the UE to avoid sensing a whole or part of resource pool by excluding one or more resources based on the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
The UE of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
refrain from sensing resources that are indicated to be used by other devices based on the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
The UE of claim 14,
wherein the request for the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information is transmitted at an end of a channel sensing window and before starting of a resource selection window, and
wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to:
combine the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information with sensing information collected by the UE during the channel sensing window,
perform a resource selection by excluding at least one of:
one or more subframes from the resource selection window due to unmonitored resources in the channel sensing window,
one or more resources reserved by other UEs on the same RAT from the resource selection window if a corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, or
resources reserved by other UEs on other RATs from the resource selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds an inter-RAT SL-RSRP exclusion threshold.
A method for forwarding at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the method comprising:
receiving, from at least one first user equipment (UE), the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, obtained by the at least one first UE;
storing the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information; and
transmitting, to a second UE, the received at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information.
A method for providing location information and at least one of resource reservation information or channel sensing information in a sidelink communication, the method comprising:
performing a sidelink channel sensing operation to obtain the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information being associated with location information of a user equipment (UE); and
reporting the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to an apparatus in the sidelink communication so as to enable the apparatus to provide the location information and the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, to another UE.
A method for obtaining at least one of the resource reservation information or sidelink channel sensing information from an apparatus in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, from the apparatus, the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information, wherein the at least one of the resource reservation information or the channel sensing information does not apply to the apparatus.